Acts 16:18

And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. AND THIS DID SHE MANY DAYS - that is, on many successive occasions when on their way to their usual place of meeting, or when engaged in religious services. BUT PAUL BEING GRIEVED - for the poor victim; grieved to see such power possessed by the enemy of man's salvation, and grieved to observe the malignant design with which this high testimony was borne to Christ....

− 18._Paul took it grievously. _It may be that at the first Paul neglected, and did not greatly regard the crying of the maid, because he hoped that there would be no account made thereof, and had rather that it should vanish away of itself. But the continual repetition doth at length make him weary; because, if he had any long dissembled, Satan would have waxed more and more insolent through his silence and patience. Secondly, he ought not to have broken out into this prohibition rashly, until he knew for a certainty that he was furnished with the power of God. For Paul’s commandment − (196) had been foolish and vain without the commandment of God. And this must be noted, lest any man condemn Paul of too great hastiness, because he encountered so valiantly with the unclean spirit. For he did not conceive any grief or indignation, save only that he saw that the stability of Satan would i...

16-24 Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach men to fear God, to believe in Christ, to forsake sin, and to live godly lives, they will be accused of teaching bad customs....

Verse Acts 16:18. _PAUL, BEING GRIEVED_] Probably for the reasons assigned above. _TURNED-TO THE SPIRIT_] Not to the _woman_; she was only the _organ_ by which the spirit acted. _I COMMAND THEE, IN THE NAME OF JESUS_] Jesus is the _Saviour_; Satan is _Abaddon_ and _Apollyon_, the _destroyer_. The sovereign _Saviour_ says to the _destroyer_, Come out of her; _and he came out_ _in the same hour_. Every circumstance of this case proves it to have been a _real possession_. We have already had several opportunities of remarking the great accuracy of St. Luke in his accounts of demoniacs: his education as a _physician_ gave him advantages to detect imposture of this kind where it subsisted; but he sees none in this case. He speaks of the _spirit_ and the _damsel_ as...

BUT PAUL, BEING GRIEVED - Being molested, troubled, offended. Paul was grieved, probably: * Because her presence was troublesome to him; * Because it might be said that he was in alliance with her, and that his pretensions were just like hers; * Because what she did was for the sake of gain, and was a base imposition; * Because her state was one of bondage and delusion, and it was proper to free her from this demoniacal possession; and, * Because the system under which she was acting was a part of a scheme of delusion and imposture, which had spread over a large portion of the pagan world, and which was then holding it in bondage. Throughout the Roman empire the inspiration of the priestesses of Apollo was believed in, and temples were everywhere reared to perpetuate and celebrate the delusion. Against this extensive system of imposture and fraud

EXPOSITION ACTS 16:1 _And he came also _for _then came he, _A.V._ _and T.R.; _to Lystra _for _Lystra, _A.V._; Timothy _for _Timotheus, _A.V._; of a Jewess _for _of a certain woman which was a Jewess, _A.V. and T.R.; _which _for _and, _A.V. For DERBE and LYSTRA, see Acts 14:1. and notes. This time St. Paul visited Derbe first, whereas before he came from Lystra to Derbe (Acts 14:6, Acts 14:8, Acts 14:21). WAS THERE; viz

AND THIS SHE DID MANY DAYS,.... As the apostle and his company passed to and from the oratory, being for that time at Lydia's house; she followed them, and repeated the above words. This she was suffered to do, time after time; not that the apostle and his friends wanted such a testimony, or that it was of any use to them; but that the expulsion of the evil spirit might be more manliest, and more taken notice of: BUT PAUL BEING GRIEVED; at the unhappy condition the maid was in, being possessed with such a spirit: and that the people were so imposed upon and deluded by it; and that it should be thought that there was any combination and agreement between that and him: TURNED; himself to her, who was behind him, she following him, as is said in the preceding verse; this is left out in the Syriac version: AND SAID TO THE SPIRIT; or to that spirit, as the same version renders it; to the s...

Acts 16:9. _And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us._ Our dreams often follow the leading thoughts of the day; or, if not of the day, yet the chief thoughts that are upon the mind. Paul dreams about mission work, for his heart is in it. I should not wonder if some before me, who are deeply engaged in earnest Christian work, have often dreamt about their Sunday-school, or their mission-station. Where the mind goes when we are awake, it often goes when we are asleep. This vision that appeared to Paul was supernatural; and was an indication of what God wanted him to do. Acts 16:10. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord ha

CHAPTER 16 _ 1. In Derbe and Lystra again. Timotheus (Acts 16:1)._ 2. The Preaching forbidden in Asia (Acts 16:6). 3. The Vision of the Man from Macedonia (Acts 16:9). 4. The Gospel in Europe (Acts 16:13). Read in connection with the first verses of this chapter 1 Timothy 1:18; 1Ti 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15. The circumcision of Timothy, the offspri

EXORCISM OF A POSSESSED GIRL. The walk to the place of prayer is made frequently, and the party comes to be known. A girl who carried on a trade in the fortune-telling of these days notes them; a girl believed to be possessed by a _python,_ a spirit which could on being consulted foretell or warn, possibly a ventriloquist. She attaches herself to the party and gives her version, to be taken as inspired, of what they are. The treatment for possession is applied to her successfully by Paul, who is wearied of hearing her, and her gift ceases at once (_cf._ Mark 1:23 ff; Mark 3:11 f.)....